Edmund w



(No Model.)

E. W. WOODRUFF.

CABINET.

Patented Mar. 2 '18 EDMUND IV. WOODRUFF, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

CABINET.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 535,782, dated March12, 1895.

Application filed June 2, 1894. Serial No. 513,307. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND WV. WOOD- RUFF, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Washington, District of Golumbia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cabinets, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My present improvements relate to that class of cabinets for file boxesor analogous receptacles which are adapted to securely lock thereceptacles in their places within the cabinet so that their contentsmay be kept private and safe and are especially adapted for so lookingthose receptacles the sides of which are, at the back of the box, lowerthan the fronts of the receptacles.

The principal objects of my invention are to render the locking of thereceptacles more secure by causing the locking devices to engage aportion of the file bo'x itself as distinguished from engaging anattachment with which the box may be provided; to simplify and cheapenthe construction by combining with the locking devices the shelves orsupports of .the fileboxes or other receptacles in such manner that saidsupports furnish bearings or guides for the locking devices in thelocking and unlocking movements of the latter; and to lessen the numberof locking devices by combining them with the receptacle in such mannerthat each device will serve to lock two of the receptacles.

From considerations of economy and security it is very desirable toarrange the looking devices in the form of vertical bars situatedintermediate between the file boxes and provided with stops or shoulderswhich engage corresponding stops or shoulders upon such boxes. The sidesof these boxes are however of relatively thin material and it is notfeasible to form notches in their upper edges which will afford secureand strong locking shoulders. It is therefore necessary to form thelocking notches or recesses in the bottoms of the holders, and in suchcase it is further necessary that the locking bars, when they are movedinto their locking position, shall be thrust upward into place. Thearrangement thus described would form a very efficient and securecabinet lock for file boxes, except for the fact that the rear ends ofsuch boxes are usually lower than their fronts, the

side pieces ordinarily tapering down from the front to the back of thebox upon a diagonal line. This configuration of the box or holderenables its upper front end to be tilted outward, causing acorresponding upward tilting of the inner ends, which would release fromthe locking shoulders of the vertically movable rods the recesses in thebottoms of the boxes. To obviate this last mentioned difficulty I havecombined with the boxes recessed as described, and with the verticallymovable locking bars, stops secured within the cabinet and overhangingthe rear ends of the file boxes so as to prevent said ends from beingtilted upwardly with the above mentioned undesirable result.

lVith such objects in View, my invention consists in the parts andcombinations thereof hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accompany-s ing drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect, without limiting myimprovements in their useful applications tothe particular constructions which, for the sake of illustration, I havedelineated.

In said drawings:-Figure 1 is a vertical sec tional view on line I-I,Fig. 4, of a cabinet embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of a file'box or holder adapted for use with my invention showingalso a portion of the cabinet with one of its fixed stops, and, indotted lines, one of the locking bars. Fig. 3 is a sectional view online III III Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a sectional view on line IV IV Fig. 1.Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a detail 0 another form of myinvention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a cabi-, net or frame, in thisinstance arranged for receiving what are known as file boxes, for thesecuring of which latter in their spaces or pigeon-holes, my inventionis applied.

2 indicates the shelves, ledges, flanges or other supports of thecabinet upon which the boxes rest and slide, and 3 denote-s verticalmembers, which may or may not be employed, dividing the cabinet intospaces or pigeonholes for the file-boxes or equivalent receptacles. Thelatter are shown at 4, and are provided upon their under sides withshoulders or stops 5, adapted to be engaged by the locking or securingdevices. These shoulders are ICO conveniently formed by cutting in thebottom of the file-box a recess 6, the rear wall of which constitutesthe shoulder. The shoulders 5 are made right and left upon thesuccessive file boxes in a row, so that the shoulders of each pair ofboxes are together and adapted to be engaged by the same locking devicesituated between the boxes. The locking devices are shown at 7,consisting of rods or bars which are vertical, or transverse to thedirection in which the file-boxes reciprocate, and which are mounted insuitable hearings in the cabinet. These bearings are indicated at 8,situated in the dividing plane of each pair of boxes and are formed inthe shelves or equivalent horizontal supports 2. The locking bars 7 areformed or provided with shoulders or stops 9 adapted, by a suitablemotion of the bar, to be brought up in front of and into the path of theshoulders 5 on the file-boxes when the latter are in place in thecabinet and offectually prevent their Withdrawal.

The stops 9 may be conveniently formed by the full thickness of the bars7, in which case the latter are recessed as at 10, contiguous to saidstops. When the cabinet is unlocked the bars 7 are moved down to bringtheir said recesses into line with the stops 5 on the receptacles, thuspermitting the latter to be re moved from or inserted in theirpigeon-holes. The bars 7 may, however, be made thin, without recesses10, and provided with stops in the shape of projecting pins 11, as seenin Fig. 5.

Various means may be employed to move the securing bars 7 so as to bringtheir stops into and out of engagement with those of the receptacles. Imay employ a known form of mechanism comprising a horizontal trans versebar 12 connected with the lower ends of the bars 7, and a rock shaft 13passing through the front of the case, having an operating handle 14,and connected with said bar 12 by a crank arm 15,having a wrist pin 16,entering a horizontal transverse slot 17 in the bar. Any suitablelocking device may be applied to secure said mechanism from movement. Iprefer, however, to provide the rock shaft 13 with a radial projection20, and to combine with the latter a reciprocating bolt 21 having in itsend a recess 22. By this device, when the bolt is thrust toward the rockshaft, the projection on the latter is engaged upon both sides andsecurely held. Said bolt may form a part of a lock 23, affixed to theframe of the cabinet and operated by a key which may be inserted throughthe front of the cabinet in the usual manner.

From Fig. 1 it will be seen that when the securing bars 7 are in theirraised or looking positions the crank arm 15 is on its dead center, thatis, the pin 16 is directly over the shaft 13, thus preventing thefalling of the bars.

As in practice the file boxes do not exactly fit their pigeon-holes, itmight be possible, to so tilt or move the boxes as to disengage therecesses from the stops of the securing bars. To prevent this I haveprovided stops 25 which are secured to the inner rear wall of thecabinet and overhanging the rear ends of the boxes. These stops are soconstructed and placed that one stop is capable of holding twocontiguous boxes, and in conjunction with the bars 7 they hold perfectlyrigid the boxes.

I claim In a file box cabinet, the combination with the boxes or holderslower at their rear than at their front ends and provided in their undersides with recesses, of locking devices comprising movable bars arrangedbetween the boxes and having stops adapted to be entered into saidrecesses, means for actuating said bars, and fixed stops secured in thecabinet and overhanging the rear ends of the boxes, substantially as setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twowitnesses.

EDMUND V. WOODRUFF.

\Vitnesses:

J OSEPH H. MILANs, CHAS. W. PARKER.

